Distant drams

There are seven whisky distilleries on the tiny Hebridean island of Islay which has boasted the perfect ingredients - barley and bogs - since the sixth century. Robin McKie was more than happy to pay a visit and test the tipple

It would be a strange person who did not envy Billy Stichell, manager of Caol Ila distillery on Islay. Not only is he responsible for making one of the world's finest drinks, but his workplace is probably the most beautiful in Britain. Behind its six giant copper stills, flow the glistening waters of the Sound of Islay. The shores are playgrounds for otters and seals while porpoises and killer whales sweep past on their way between the Atlantic and the Irish Sea. For good measure, the chiselled peaks of the Paps of Jura add a mouth-watering background.

But the panorama, although glorious, is mere embellishment. The real splendour of Caol Ila lies within its whitewashed walls where distillers have brought the art of whisky-making close to perfection. Few experienced tipplers have failed to relish a dram of this beautifully balanced single malt, one of Scotland's finest.

Of course, Islay, the most southerly of the Hebrides, is ideal for whisky making. It has fields of barley and bogs of peat, the key ingredients of usquabae, 'the water of life'. It also lies a mere two dozen miles from Ireland whose sixth century missionaries brought Christianity to Scotland - along with an expertise in distilling. Whisky has been in the islanders' blood ever since. And very peaty blood it must be to judge by the pungent aroma and deep smoky taste of most of their whiskies, in particular those of the most southerly distilleries, Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig.

These have a powerful after-burn in the mouth - a consequence of Islay distillers' continued use of peat to dry their malted barley. This imparts a distinctive taste to the fermented barley mash from which the water of life is distilled. The final result is nectar to many, myself included, although these whiskies also contain hints of iodine and seaweed and a taste of burnt wood that can disturb.

Caol Ila, by contrast, provides a perfect balance between Islay's peatiest potions, and the mainland's smoother, slightly blander whiskies. It is medium-bodied, smoky and peppery, with a glowing aftertaste. 'It goes over your throat incredibly smoothly, and then hits you with a wonderful, warm thump across the chest,' says Stitchell, whose family has worked for four generations at Caol Ila's distillery. 'You can feel its spread across your body. Wonderful.'

And the secret of this glorious, warming taste lies within those gleaming copper stills. Inside, fermented mashes - created by mixing malted barley and yeast with water from nearby Loch Nam Ban - are heated and their precious alcohol and flavours boiled off. Every distillery has a still that is unique in shape, its contours imbuing each single malt with its particular, individual taste. Those at Caol Ila have wide shoulders and exit pipes (called lye pipes) that slope very gently down and away from the main retort: ideal for holding back most of the denser, thicker chemicals that would otherwise impart that heavy, seaweed flavour. Instead, the whisky garners only a relatively modest smoky base, from the traces of the peaty malt that still make it out of the still. Over this flavour lies a smoother, lighter aftertaste.

So begin with Caol Ila as your entry point to Islay malts. You will be joining a major renaissance, as the island's whiskies have increased dramatically in popularity over the past five years. Ardbeg distillery was re-opened a few years ago; this year Bruichladdich was re-launched by local businessmen; while the malted bacchanalia that is the Islay whisky festival

is now attended by thousands of visitors, mainly Germans and Scandinavians. There are even plans to build a completely new distillery, on the island's north coast.

Islay, as you will have gathered, is a place steeped in whisky. It is only a tiny island but it has seven major distilleries: Ardbeg, Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Lagavulin and Laphroaig. And everything they produce is exploited, even the fat-rich residues left over after the barley mash is used - as animal fodder, producing the Islay's thick creams and rich cuts of beef and lamb. And if you stand at the pier at Lagavulin, you will overlook the bay from which a thousand Islay men embarked to help Robert the Bruce give the English a good gubbing at Bannockburn - and who were no doubt well fortified with the water of life. But then as Burns says: 'Wi' usquabae, we'll face the Devil.'

Whisky galore

Single malt: whisky that is produced from only one distillery. First barley is germinated to release its sugars and then dried over fires. Now malted, the barley is mixed with water, to which is added yeast - 'a little beast that eats sugar, farts carbon dioxide and pisses alcohol'. The resulting alcoholic brew is distilled to make a single malt.

Blended whisky: several malts mixed with coarser grain whisky, in rough proportions of two parts grain to three of malt. Classic whiskies like Bells, White Horse and Famous Grouse are blends. Try Burn Stewart's Scottish Leader for one at the very best.

Vatted malt: several single malts mixed together, but without the addition of any grain whisky. Again the taste can be glorious. Try Famous Grouse Vintage Malt.

Water: Unlike cognacs or armagnacs, a glass of whisky is improved by adding a few drops of spring water. These help release its aromas. Don't drown it, however, and more importantly, do not add anything else - or face a deserved death by evisceration.

Casks: Whisky is always kept in oak casks that have already stored another alcoholic beverage: usually bourbon or sherry, occasionally port and Madeira. Each type of cask therefore imbues a different taste to a whisky so that within a single malt it is still quite possible to create a wide range of tastes.

Cask strength: Whisky has to be stored in casks for at least three years, but is usually kept for longer. From these it emerges as 50 to 60 per cent alcohol. You can buy whisky in this searing throat-clutching state, though usually it is diluted to between 40 to 46 per cent when bottled. Where to buy: Most large supermarkets have a good range of malts. Rarer ones, including Caol Ila, can be bought at Oddbins or by searching websites such as www.malts.com or www.islaywhiskysociety.com.